Tuesday, 30 August 2016

John Kerry announces India-US-Afghanistan trilateral talk

Secretary
of State John Kerry said on
Tuesday that the United States would launch trilateral talks with India and Afghanistan at next month's United
Nations meetings in New York after strategy
talks in New Delhi. Kerry, addressing a news conference, also denounced
terrorism+and said the perpetrators
of attacks on Indian soil - in Mumbai in 2008 and at the Pathankot airbase last
January - should be brought to justice.

"We cannot and will not make distinctions between good
and bad terrorists," Kerry said. "Terror is terror no matter where it
comes from, (or) who carries it out." India accuses Pakistan of
responsibility for both attacks. Pakistan is trying suspects in the Mumbai
attacks, in which 166 people died. Investigations into this year's airbase
attack have so far been inconclusive.

'Impossible
that Pakistan joins fight against terrorism'

Kerry urged Pakistan to join other nations in tackling
terrorism, and said Islamabad should not feel isolated by planned trilateral
talks between the United States, India and Afghanistan."It is impossible that Pakistan join with other
nations in fighting this challenge," Kerry told a news conference, saying
he had been in touch with Pakistan's civilian and military leaders on terrorism
and noting progress in counter-terrorism operations in the west of the country.